snatch straps

Hi Ben
I wouldnt join a snatch strap and a winch strap together as there is no give in the winch ext strap.
You can join 2 snatch straps together by pulling the ends of the straps thru the eye's of each other without kinking them over and DEFINATELY do not join 2 straps together using a bow shackle,if 1 strap breaks you will have a leathal missile heading your way or towards the other vehicle

Ben
No problems joining a snatch strap and winch extension strap from my experiences. The snatch strap should and will still give you enough elasticity to work as per ususal.
You can also join with a bow shackle but really only as a last resort and not under severe conditions. You must use a rated shackle and make sure you cover the shackle with a blanket or something, all the while keeping people away from the area.
If you join your winch extension and snatch strap together without separating eyes of straps then you will NEVER get them apart (which is where the stick method comes into play) so use a rolled up magazine or something similar to separate the eyes once you've looped them through each other.
Towing with a snatch strap uphill (if this is what you intend doing) could be dangerous but a snatch should be okay. Towing could also damage your strap from dragging it along the ground.

Ben - Don't use a shackle, even a rated one, under any circumstances to join any straps, whether snatches or winch straps (sorry Allyn). It's not the shackle breaking that poses the greatest risk but rather the straps breaking and catapulting the shackle through a vehicle or person. Using the loops separated by rolled newspaper is the only safe way .... still observe other precautions already mentioned - keeping all people clear etc.

Joining snatch straps by shackles is a no-no. A piece of wood/paper, etc id the only way. A snatch strap to a winch extension is OK as the snatch strap will still stretch but I carry 6m and 9m sntach straps with a piece of wood and have found that is all I have ever needed.

See the bottom of the first page of our web site http://steveandchris.netfirms.com to see why you do not use a shackle and how to join the straps properly. The Disco windscreen was a friend of ours and they are lucky for the windscreen to stop it but they and their baby were still covered in glass.

See you all on the tracks next year when we move to OZ.

Ben
Never join a snatch and winch extension strap with a shackle unless you are planning on killing someone. There is a big difference between a snatch and constant tow. With a snatch strap you are using kinetic or movement energy in the tow vehicle.This stretches the snatch strap which stores it as potential energy, which is then transferred to the bogged vehicle to pull it. The tow vehicle doesn't need much traction, just as long as it can build up some speed. This system can get loaded up with some really big potential energy forces, which is why it is great for extracting you from a bog, but if something goes "ptwang", your shackle or anything else in the system with some mass if going to go off like a bullet.
With a straight tow (or winching) the system doesn't rely on potential energy, just on a constant pulling force. It relies on the tow vehicle having traction to put a constant pull on the line. If you are just towing someone up a hill at a constant speed on a non-stretchy line you aren't loading up the system too much, but as soon as you use a snatch strap you are allowing it to store potential energy, hence the danger in using a shackle to join them.
I have been forced to use a snatch joined to a winch extension in a snatching operation in a long boghole. This is by passing the tail of each strap through the loop of the other and putting a stick, rolled up magazine or something else lightweight in the join so you can get the straps apart later. It works fine but you have to bear in mind that the extension strap isn't designed to stretch much or store potential energy, so you have to go a bit softly. Hope this helps (if you are still awake). MikeyS

Ben, Q1; Although i wouldn't recommend it, but as a last resort ??
The differences between the straps,
The winch extension strap is not to stretch <10%
The snatch strap is designed to stretch quickly ie;"snatch"
& can stretch around 30%. Under a sustained load like
towing, the strap can stay partially stretched and reduce
it's snatching effectiveness in future use.
Q2; As Bill had said NEVER EVER join straps via shackle !!!
Looping is the only safest method. If straps are of similar
length offset shown as below long through short.
__________________________
__________________________

Then use a floor mat, mag etc, wood? can break if too dry,
through the loop between straps, and don't forget a rug or
blanket to use as an air break (pull strap to ground) if
something fails.
On a snatching failure demo using a shackle. It took less
than two frames on video. That is 10 metres in a fraction
of a second. Something to think about ?

Ben, there is no problem whatsoever in attaching a snatch strap to a winch extension strap for snatching work - it doesn't matter that the
winch strap has no 'give' in it as this is handled by the snatch strap (i.e it's no different to having the snatch strap joined directly to 2 4WDs -
neither of the recovery points have any give in them!! At least I'd hope not). So long as there is a snatch strap somewhere in the equation
you can even use multiple winch extension straps!
However your question suggests that you want to tow someone up a hill. The above will work for towing, but you must realise that
extended towing with a snatch strap (as opposed to a 'real' snatch) will ruin the elasticity of the snatch strap and it should then only be used
for towing. The only worry is the joining of the straps, and you NEVER use something solid like a shackle. As others have recommended,
use some wood or rolled up paper to join the straps, but you should stil lexpect it to be a difficult process to separate the straps! Steve